The present invention relates to a portable cooking apparatus which is constructed so that the disassembled parts may be fitted together for easy and secure storage and transportation. More specifically, the present invention relates to a kit comprising a portable cooking apparatus and carrying case.
Many portable camp stoves and cooking grills are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 1,403,842 to Chambers et al. discloses a portable camp stove comprising a cooking surface, foldable legs attached to the cooking surface, and adjustable panels extending downward from the cooking surface. These panels may be adjusted to direct the flow of air to the combustible material used in conjunction with the stove, and to shield the user of the stove from flames. A similar camping grate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,435,747 to Seiling. Both the camp stove of Chambers and the camping grate of Seiling are disclosed as being capable of being folded into a compact form for carrying.
A collapsible stove is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,569,401 to Sims. This stove comprises a hinged grill portion, rigidly self-supporting side panels hinged to the grill and adapted to support the grill, and an end panel adapted for engagement with the side panels to hold the side panels in a supporting position. This collapsible stove also includes a latch member or clasp for securing the stove in a folded condition.
Another portable cooking device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,058,172 to Myers. This device comprises a grill, bars attached to and extending laterally from the grill, and two notched supporting members. These supporting members may be affixed to a fire box and are adapted so that the height of the grill may be adjusted by resting the bars in various notches of the supporting members.
A portable grill is also disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,912 to Choe. This grill comprises a hinged carrying case which may be opened to form an elongated planar grill base or a countertop. This grill also comprises legs which may be extended from the case to support the grill base in an elevated position. The grill also contains side walls which may be fitted into the case and attached to the top of the base to form supports for solid fuels such as coals. The supports may also assist in grilling or rotisserie operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,328 to Schaffer discloses a collapsible grill having a grate which is capable of being rolled up and which, when unrolled, forms a rectangular grate. This grate is supported on a pair of crossed support members which are elevated from the ground by supporting legs hingeably affixed thereto.
A grill which is adjustable for height is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,567 to Gage et al. This grill comprises a grate with hollow cylindrical leg holders attached to the grate. Each leg holder may telescopically receive one of four legs. Each leg has axially spaced, radiantly extending lugs which are aligned with the lugs on the other legs. The height of the grill may be adjusted by aligning the lugs with slots in the leg holders and sliding the legs to the proper vertical position. The legs are then rotated so that the lugs underlie solid portions of the leg holders. Other portable cooking devices related in certain respects to the present invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,058,836 to Silver, 2,148,439 to Crawford and 4,133,335 to Malafouris.
Previous portable camp stoves and cooking grills suffer from several disadvantages. These stoves and grills often are structurally complex, making them unduly susceptible to problems caused by failure of any of their many parts. Also, previous portable stoves and grills are relatively heavy or bulky. This makes them inherently unsuitable for transportation over long distances or for situations where space is at a premium. It is in part for these reasons that the majority of portable stoves and grills are inherently unsuitable for use in activities such as backpacking, extended canoe trips, ski touring and other activities where lightness, compactability and reliability are a necessity.
Many prior stoves and grills also are difficult to assemble and dismantle. Further, many of these devices may not be disassembled so that the parts are securely held in a compact, self-contained unit which protects the disassembled parts from being damaged or misplaced.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a portable cooking apparatus which is simple, easy to dismantle and to assemble, requires a minimum of parts, and which, when disassembled, may be packed together as a self-contained unit for easy and secure transportation and storage.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.